When you open the bottle of Capel Vale Debut Merlot, the warming aroma of ripe plums, mulberry and briary notes fills your glass. A great balance of the acidity, juicy red fruits and soft tannins delivers an enjoyable wine with a med savoury finish.

Woodlands Cabernet Merlot is one of the regions best examples. The Watson brothers are the custodians of a family heritage in Margaret River that continues to this day. The Cabernet Merlot has attractive and complex aromas of dark berry and plum supported by well integrated vanillin oak. The palate shows similar characters with outstanding length of flavour and perfect balance. Drink now or cellar short term.

A lovely example of Margaret River Cabernet Merlot, Flametree Cabernet Merlot is showing big dense fruit characters of blackcurrant and stewed plums. A silky seamless palate with rich fruit concentration and chocolaty complexity. Matured in French oak barrels has softened and rounded this wine.

At last an affordable Merlot with some real varietal character! Grant Burge Hillcot range has soft ripe red berry and raspberry aromas on the nose. Followed by ripe plum and cherry flavours enhanced by well-integrated oak.

The 2010 Chateau d'Issan is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, showing 'classic Margaux' in its perfume, finesse and apparent elegance. Soils are gravel and clay, which contributes to the high-tones of perfume from the wine, and though an estate that is neccesarily clawing its way back to a higher profile, is doing so with deeds in bottle over showmanship. On its side, the vineyard is dense with older vines that naturally offer lower yields, allowing for a higher quality of fruit for the winemaking team, in turn producing a wine of stellar quality from 2010.

The Bowler's Run range at Dan Murphy's continues to prove a sure fire winner for the price savvy consumer. Fresh and fruit driven, this delicious, youthful blend has loads of sweet blackcurrant cabernet fruit flavour with the supple texture of Merlot.

Ripe and generous, the leafy, minty characters of Cabernet are complemented by the softness and plummy fruit coming from the Merlot. A nice touch of sweet oak completes the picture.

A great Merlot, this wine has intense plum, raspberry and cherry flavours with silky soft tannins.

This 2014 Rosabrook Cabernet Merlot is one of the Margaret River's signature wine styles. Great licks of black fruit from the Cabernet Sauvignon interlaced with the smooth plum characters on Merlot. It is a beautifully made wine with great balance and a lengthy finish. It will be great with meat dishes or even a cheese platter. Owned by Calneggia Family Vineyards, one of Margaret River's pioneering grape growers with winemaker legend Brian Fletcher pulling the winemaking levers.

Dollar for dollar, wines such as this truly are remarkable value. Soft, round with flavours of ripe plums, blackcurrant and a finely grained mouthfeel.